Landscaping - Water constantly drains from sprinkler head

i have a four zone sprinkler system. the zone for my rear lawn leaks water constantly. it consists of four hunter PGP rotary heads. I have installed the screens withe check valves on all the heads, and it has not stopped it. any advice would be appreciated.

Your valve for that zone is leaking. Replace the solenoid or the valve to stop it.

Solenoid is the easiest thing to try first but you will have to be patient to see if it leaks again. A new valve would be sure to fix it and the cost difference is not huge between the two, depending on the type of valve it is.

Thank you for the reply. i went to the zone valve box, and you are correct, one zone is flowing water, the other three are not. is this a simple thing to replace myself?

depending on the valve, yes or no. If this is a current (last 5 years) then you can find a replacement solenoid to install. You simply cut both wires going into the solenoid (thats the part with the wires on it). Unscrew the solenoid and screw in a new one. This is all easier with the clock in the off position and the water turned off. Each of the cut wires will go to one of the wires on the new solenoid (makes no difference which one is which).


It is also possible that debris is inside of the valve if you have had recent mainline damage or plumbing done inside the house. Or if you had mainline damage a while ago the dirt may have finally made its way into the valve. This can take days and sometimes years.

edit: chances are, though, its just the solenoid that has worn out.